List of Euphoria characters

Rue Bennett

• portrayed by Zendaya
  • Janice LeAnn Brown (4 years old, "Pilot" and "And Salt the Earth Behind You")
  • McKenna Rae Roberts (10 years old, "Pilot")
  • Aliyah Conley (13 years old, "'03 Bonnie and Clyde")
  • Alumière Glass (3 years old, "Stand Still Like the Hummingbird")

Ruby "Rue" Bennett was born on September 14, 2001, 3 days after 9/11. She is a recovering teenage drug addict who is fresh out of rehab and struggling to find her place in the world. Sarcastic and introverted, she serves as the narrator for the series.^[1] She lives with her mom and sister. Her dad died from cancer before the start of the series. She is best friends with Lexi, having known her since preschool, and develops a relationship with Jules. The second season finds her continuing to struggle with addiction as she becomes involved with drug trafficking for Laurie and enters an official relationship with Jules. In the third season, Rue is indebted to Laurie and is working as a drug mule to pay off her debt. She maintains a friendship with Lexi but has grown away from Jules. Alamo Brown, a local crime boss who operates strip clubs and partakes in arms trafficking, frees Rue from her debt to Laurie by employing her himself. She reconnects with Jules and is busted by the DEA.

Lexi Howard

• portrayed by Maude Apatow^[2]

Alexis "Lexi" Howard was born on January 11, 2001. She is Rue's childhood best friend and Cassie's younger sister. She spends most of her teenage years in the shadow of her big sister, always feeling like an outsider and an observer of her own life. Determined to do more and to finally step into the spotlight, she creates a play in the second season and bases it on everything that has happened around her, including unflattering depictions of her friends. At the same time, she grows closer to Fezco after discovering an unexpected compatibility, including some unusual, shared interests (such as the 1986 film Stand by Me). In the third season, Lexi has become an assistant to a television producer. She continues to maintain a friendship with Rue.

Fezco O'Neill

• portrayed by Angus Cloud (seasons 1–2)
  • Mason Shea Joyce (10 years old, "Trying to Get to Heaven Before They Close the Door")

Fezco "Fez" O'Neill is a local drug dealer with a close, sibling-like relationship with Rue. He was raised by his grandmother, who is now disabled. He lives with Ashtray, whom he considers his business partner, and even though they do not appear to be related, he treats him like a brother. He starts a camaraderie with Lexi during the second season. In the third season, Fezco is serving prison time following his arrest at the end of the second season, but he still maintains a friendship with Rue.

Cal Jacobs

• portrayed by Eric Dane
  • Elias Kacavas (18 years old, "Ruminations: Big and Little Bullys")

Cal Jacobs is Nate's strict, demanding father with a double life. He is married to and fathered three children with Marsha, his high school girlfriend. In secret, he is a closeted homosexual who has one-night stands with men and transgender youths, including Jules, which he records with a hidden camera. In the second season, he reveals his infidelity to his wife and children and leaves his family before being arrested. In the third season, Cal is an alcoholic who lives on his own after his wife divorced him. He attends Nate's wedding and reveals to Jules that he is now a registered sex offender as a result of being busted for sleeping with a 17-year-old who misled him about his age. He considers high school to be the best years of his life and asserts to Nate that his sexual relations with men were simply an act of hedonism.

Maddy Perez

• portrayed by Alexa Demie
  • Keilani Arellanes (11 years old, "Made You Look", "'03 Bonnie and Clyde", and "Out of Touch")

Madeleine "Maddy" Perez is confident, combative, and popular. She is Nate's on-and-off girlfriend and later ex-girlfriend. She has a turbulent relationship with her family and was emotionally and physically abused by Nate while they were together. Her greatest fear is ending up in a loveless relationship like her parents', so she often excuses Nate's acts of violence as proof of his passion and love for her, even going so far as to help him frame an innocent man for physically assaulting her so that he would get back together with her. Despite her hotheadedness, she can be kind and values her close friends, like Kat and BB, as well as Rue, Jules, and Lexi. Cassie was once her closest friend, before Cassie betrayed Maddy by having a secret relationship with Nate in the second season. Maddy ends their friendship, and her remaining friends support her decision. A physical confrontation occurs between the two of them after Cassie interrupts Lexi's play and assaults one of the cast members. Afterwards, Cassie's remorse for her actions only furthers Maddy's resentment. In the third season, Maddy works as a talent manager's assistant before branching off on her own. She is initially successful, but eventually loses her best client. She reluctantly reconnects with Cassie for the first time since high school, seeing an opportunity to use her to boost her own clientele. She attends Nate and Cassie's wedding but is overcome with emotion at the reception and leaves.

Nate Jacobs

• portrayed by Jacob Elordi
  • Gabriel Golub (11 years old, "Stuntin' Like My Daddy")

Nathaniel "Nate" Jacobs is a high school athlete whose anger issues mask his sexual insecurities. He was traumatized as a child after viewing his father Cal's collection of pornography, which featured him having sex with male and transgender prostitutes. He has harbored an unspecified fixation on Jules. He has an on-and-off and toxic relationship with Maddy, but later starts a secret relationship with Cassie in the second season, which damages the girls' friendship. Nate often has dangerous outbursts of anger and violence, of which Maddy is usually on the receiving end. In the third season, Nate has shed his anger issues and is engaged to Cassie. He has taken over Cal's construction company but has had financial issues that have indebted him to Naz, a dangerous morgue mogul. Initially, he hides this situation from Cassie, but on their wedding night, his situation is exposed to her as Naz’s henchman beats him up and he ends up losing a toe as a reminder of his debt.

Kat Hernandez

• portrayed by Barbie Ferreira (seasons 1–2)
  • Johanna Colón (11 years old, "Made You Look")

Katherine "Kat" Hernandez was born on August 15, 2002. She is a girl fighting for body positivity while exploring her sexuality. She is a plus-sized teenage girl with chin-length hair, ivory skin, and dark brown eyes.^[3] She wears cat-eye glasses, and her everyday clothes often consist of average shirts, tops, and dresses, preferring minimalist makeup looks.

Leslie Bennett

• portrayed by Nika King (seasons 1–2; guest season 3)
  • Malia Barnhardt (14 years old, "A Thousand Little Trees of Blood")

Leslie Bennett is Rue and Gia's mother. After losing her husband, Leslie takes care of her children on her own.

Gia Bennett

• portrayed by Storm Reid (seasons 1–2)
  • Hyla Rayne Fontenot (7 years old, "Pilot")
  • Nyran Hepburn and Ashton Hunsberger (Baby, "Stand Still Like the Hummingbird")

Georgia "Gia" Bennett was born in late 2005 and is Rue's caring and loyal younger sister. The summer before Rue's junior year, Gia found her overdosing and choking on a pool of vomit, which traumatized her.

Jules Vaughn

• portrayed by Hunter Schafer^[4][5]
  • Clark Furlong (11 years old, "Shook Ones Pt. II")

Jules Vaughn is a transgender girl^[6][7][8] who enters into a turbulent relationship with Rue after moving into town.^[9][10][11] She has a strained relationship with her mother, who placed her in a psychiatric hospital against her will when she was 11. She transitioned when she was 14. Free-spirited and kind, as well as emotional and impulsive, she often finds herself bearing the weight of Rue's addiction. She has a secret relationship with Cal, Nate's father, whom she lies about her age to. In the second season, she begins a relationship with Rue but eventually cheats on her with Elliot. In the third season, Jules is revealed to have dropped out of art school and has become a successful escort. She reconnects with Rue and the two renew a sexual relationship. She attends Nate and Cassie's wedding and catches up with Cal.

Chris McKay

• portrayed by Algee Smith (seasons 1–2)^[12]
  • Yohance & Zakai Biagas-Bey (11 years old, "The Next Episode")

Christopher "Chris" McKay is a young football player and Cassie's ex-boyfriend, who is having difficulties adjusting to college. He is hazed by his fraternity brothers at a party and ends up getting Cassie pregnant, which leads to her having an abortion.

Cassie Howard

• portrayed by Sydney Sweeney
  • Kyra Adler (11 years old, "The Trials and Tribulations of Trying to Pee While Depressed")

Cassandra "Cassie" Howard is a sweet and popular girl who enjoys ice skating and is Lexi's older sister. Facing objectification from a young age, as well as her father leaving her family, has left the need for male validation as her Achilles' heel. She has had multiple past relationships, which often ended in revenge porn. She is Maddy's closest friend and confidant, even having a stronger bond with Maddy than with Lexi. She enters a relationship with McKay, who she later breaks up with after he gets her pregnant, causing her to have an abortion. Seeking comfort, she engages in a secret relationship with Nate in the second season, causing her to lose her sense of self and eventually ruining her friendship with Maddy when the truth comes out. The betrayal causes Cassie to be ostracized, and she isolates herself further from everyone. Cassie has a public meltdown in relation to Lexi's school play and Nate ending their relationship. Trying to embrace her self-proclaimed title as "the villain", it leads to further ridicule from her fellow students and a physical altercation with Maddy. In the third season, Cassie is engaged to Nate. While she is unemployed, she dabbles in sexual content creation to earn additional income - until Nate forbids her from doing so. Cassie reaches out to Maddy to reconnect and apologizes to her for her actions in high school. Cassie and Nate get married, and Cassie becomes roped up in Nate's debt to a dangerous mortuary mogul.

Ali Muhammad

• portrayed by Colman Domingo ("Trouble Don't Last Always"; recurring season 1–present)

Ali (né Martin) Muhammad is a man in recovery from substance use disorder who often speaks at Rue's Narcotics Anonymous meetings and eventually becomes her sponsor.^[13] In the third season, Ali continues to offer Rue guidance.

Ashtray

• portrayed by Javon "Wanna" Walton (season 2; recurring season 1)
  • Daelo Jin Walton (6 years old, "Trying to Get to Heaven Before They Close the Door")

Ashtray is Fezco's "little brother" and a drug dealer; he is about 12 years old. He is killed at the end of the second season after being shot in the head by a SWAT team member during a police raid at the house he shares with Fez.

Ethan Daley

• portrayed by Austin Abrams (season 2; recurring season 1)

Ethan Daley is introduced as a kind, friendly high schooler who catches feelings for Kat and becomes her boyfriend. In the second season, Ethan joins the school theater play production, being written and directed by Lexi. Meanwhile, Kat has become emotionally abusive toward him, and he reluctantly breaks up with her.

Elliot

• portrayed by Dominic Fike (season 2; guest season 3)

Elliot is a classmate and new friend of Rue's, who forms a rift between her and Jules. He is also a musician and a drug addict.

Alamo Brown

• portrayed by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (season 3)

Alamo Brown is a dangerous-yet-magnetic strip club magnate who takes Rue under his wing.^[14][15]

Laurie

• portrayed by Martha Kelly (season 3; recurring season 2)

Laurie is a former school teacher turned drug dealer who crosses paths with Rue. Unlike her employees, Laurie is calm and soft-spoken; however, she claims to be ruthless when it comes to making her money back. She used to be addicted to OxyContin, and her addiction forced her into prostitution to earn money for drugs to avoid withdrawal. In the third season, Laurie employs Rue against her will as a drug mule to make up for the money that Rue stole from her. She finds herself engaged in a feud with a dangerous client, Alamo Brown, after he takes Rue under his wing. Amidst the feud, Brown instructs his enforcer Bishop to kill Laurie's pet bird, Paladin.

Faye Valentine

• portrayed by Chloe Cherry (season 3; recurring season 2)

Faye Valentine is introduced as Custer's girlfriend who stays with Fezco and Ashtray after she becomes wanted by the police for pushing her superintendent off a motel balcony. She is initially presented as a somewhat self-centered airhead who is rude towards Rue after she expresses discomfort over doing heroin; however, she is shown to be kinder and forms a friendship with Fez. After learning her boyfriend is cooperating with the police against Fez, she is conflicted due to her split loyalties. Shortly before the police raid Fez's apartment, Faye signals to Fez to warn him that Custer may be recording the conversation. In the third season, Faye works with Rue as a drug mule for Laurie. She forms a relationship with Wayne, one of Laurie's relatives. Unbeknownst to her, she accidentally contaminates some of the drugs that have been sold to local crime boss Alamo, which results in the death of one of his strippers, Tish. Her namesake is a reference to the Cowboy Bebop character of the same name.

Wayne

• portrayed by Toby Wallace (season 3)

Wayne is one of Laurie's relatives and a drug dealer. He is also Faye's love interest.^[14][15]

Recurring

• Suze Howard, portrayed by Alanna Ubach (seasons 1–2; guest season 3), Lexi and Cassie's mother. She and Gus, her ex-husband, separated the night before Cassie started ninth grade. Although Suze allowed Gus to see their daughters on weekends, he visited less and less over time and eventually stopped visiting altogether. Despite being almost constantly inebriated, she acts as a loving and supportive mother.^[16]
• Tyler Clarkson, portrayed by Lukas Gage (season 1), a college student who is brutally attacked by Nate for having sex with Maddy at a party
• David Vaughn, portrayed by John Ales (seasons 1; guest season 2), Jules' father
• Robert Bennett, portrayed by Bruce Wexler (season 1; guest season 2), Rue's father, seen in flashbacks, who died from cancer when Rue was 13
• Daniel Dimarco, portrayed by Keean Johnson (season 1) and Isaac Arellanes (11 years old, "Made You Look"), a junior who dated Kat in sixth grade and later tries to hook up with Cassie
• Marsha Jacobs, portrayed by Paula Marshall (seasons 1–2; guest season 3) and Rebecca Louise (17 years old, "Ruminations: Big and Little Bullys"), Nate and Aaron's mother and Cal's wife, until she divorces him prior to the third season^[16]
• Aaron Jacobs, portrayed by Zak Steiner (seasons 1–2; guest season 3), Nate's older brother, who is considered a "fuck-up" by his father and brother^[16]
• Custer, portrayed by Tyler Chase (seasons 1–2), assistant to Mouse, Fez's supplier
• Gus Howard, portrayed by Nick Blood (season 2; guest season 1), Lexi and Cassie's father, seen in flashbacks, is a painkiller addict who is estranged from the family
• Samantha, portrayed by Minka Kelly (season 2), Maddy's employer at her new babysitting job
• Patricia Lance, portrayed by Sharon Stone (season 3), a Hollywood producer and Lexi's boss who is the showrunner for the soap opera LA Nights^[17]
• LA Nights Director, portrayed by Colleen Camp (season 3), the director of LA Nights^[16]
• G, portrayed by Marshawn "Beast Mode" Lynch (season 3), Alamo's high-ranking enforcer^[14][15]
• Bishop, portrayed by Darrell Britt-Gibson (season 3), Alamo's right-hand man^[14][15]
• Harley, portrayed by James Landry Hébert (season 3), a cousin of Laurie and the father of Wayne^[14][15]
• Ms. Penzler, portrayed by Rebecca Pidgeon (season 3), a talent manager and Maddy's boss^[16]
• Kidd, portrayed by Asante Blackk (season 3), one of Alamo's associates^[18]
• Heather, portrayed by Jessica Blair Herman (season 3), Cassie's friend^[16]
• Magick, portrayed by Rosalía (season 3), a stripper employed by Alamo at the Silver Slipper, one of Alamo's strip clubs. She wears a neck brace in an attempt to win a lawsuit.^[14][15]
• Big Eddy, portrayed by Kadeem Hardison (season 3), one of Alamo's associates and the general manager of the Silver Slipper^[14][15]
• Brandon Fontaine, portrayed by Jeff Wahlberg (season 3), a popular influencer^[19]
• Jimenez, portrayed by Hemky Madera (season 3), a DEA agent who arrests Rue^[16]

Guest stars

Introduced in season 1

• Principal Hayes, portrayed by Jeremiah Birkett, principal of East Highland High School. Appears in episodes "Stuntin' Like My Daddy" and "'03 Bonnie and Clyde".
• Trevor, portrayed by Shiloh Fernandez, a store clerk at Femme to whom Kat develops an attraction. Appears in "Made You Look" and "'03 Bonnie and Clyde".
• Amy Vaughn, portrayed by Pell James, Jules' mother. Appears in "Shook Ones Pt. II" and "Fuck Anyone Who's Not a Sea Blob".
• Luke Kasten, portrayed by Will Peltz, a notoriously "hung" former East Highland student who hooks up with Kat. Appears in "Shook Ones Pt. II".
• Sonia Perez, portrayed by Elpidia Carrillo, Maddy's mother, an esthetician. Appears in "'03 Bonnie and Clyde" and "And Salt the Earth Behind You".
• Officer Wilson, portrayed by Larry Joe Campbell, a local police officer. Appears in "'03 Bonnie and Clyde".
• Johnny, portrayed by Jeff Pope, a man with a small penis who pursues Kat as a financial dominatrix under the username "Johnny_Unite_USA". Appears in "Made You Look" and "'03 Bonnie and Clyde".
• Minako, portrayed by Sean Martini, one of Cal's transgender hookups. Appears in "'03 Bonnie and Clyde".
• Frederick McKay, portrayed by Cranston Johnson, McKay's father. Appears in "The Next Episode".
• Rick, portrayed by Nat Faxon, Leslie's new boyfriend. Appears in "The Trials and Tribulations of Trying to Pee While Depressed".
• T.C., portrayed by Bobbi Salvör Menuez, Jules' non-binary friend from the city. Appears in "The Trials and Tribulations of Trying to Pee While Depressed".
• Anna, portrayed by Quintessa Swindell, T.C.'s pansexual friend who hooks up with Jules. Appears in "The Trials and Tribulations of Trying to Pee While Depressed".
• Natalie, portrayed by Allie Marie Evans, Nate's winter formal date. Appears in "And Salt the Earth Behind You".
• Dr. Mardy Nichols, portrayed by Lauren Weedman, Jules' therapist. Appears in "Fuck Anyone Who's Not a Sea Blob".

Introduced in season 2

• Bowl-Cut, portrayed by Andy Mackenzie, a drug dealer who rips off Fez's grandma. Appears in "Trying to Get to Heaven Before They Close the Door".
• Bruce Jr., portrayed by Richie Merritt, a drug dealer working for Laurie and Bruce Sr's son. Appears in "Trying to Get to Heaven Before They Close the Door" and "Stand Still Like the Hummingbird".
• Travis, portrayed by Demetrius Flenory Jr., a DJ and producer who flirts with Maddy. Appears in "Trying to Get to Heaven Before They Close the Door".^[20]
• Derek, portrayed by Henry Eikenberry, Cal's best friend in high school. Appears in "Ruminations: Big and Little Bullys" and "You Who Cannot See, Think of Those Who Can".
• Jade, portrayed by Aja Bair, the character in Lexi's play based on Rue. Appears in "The Theater and Its Double" and "All My Life, My Heart Has Yearned for a Thing I Cannot Name".
• Hallie, portrayed by Eden Rose, the character in Lexi's play based on Cassie. Appears in "The Theater and Its Double" and "All My Life, My Heart Has Yearned for a Thing I Cannot Name".
• Marta, portrayed by Izabella Alvarez, the character in Lexi's play based on Maddy. Appears in "The Theater and Its Double" and "All My Life, My Heart Has Yearned for a Thing I Cannot Name".
• Luna, portrayed by Isabella Amara, the character in Lexi's play based on Kat. Appears in "The Theater and Its Double" and "All My Life, My Heart Has Yearned for a Thing I Cannot Name".

Introduced in season 3

• Gillie, portrayed by Gideon Adlon, Maddy's assistant. Appears in "Ándale" and "Kitty Likes to Dance".^[16]
• Dylan Reid, portrayed by Homer Gere, a famous actor starring in LA Nights. Appears in "Ándale" and "America My Dream".^[16]
• Oceana, portrayed by Madison Thompson, an actress working opposite Dylan in LA Nights. Appears in "Ándale" and "Kitty Likes to Dance".^[16]
• Angel, portrayed by Priscilla Delgado, a stripper employed by Alamo at the Silver Slipper. She is also a brief lover of Rue, who spirals when she learns her friend Tish had died. Appears in "American My Dream".^[14][15]
• Katelyn "Katie" Adreans, portrayed by Bella Podaras, an influencer and Maddy's first client. Appears in "American My Dream" and "Kitty Likes to Dance".^[16]
• Nassim "Naz", portrayed by Jack Topalian, a mortuary mogul whom Nate is indebted to. Appears in "American My Dream" and "The Ballad of Paladin".^[16]
• Vivian, portrayed by Cailyn Rice, Jules' roommate. Appears in "The Ballad of Paladin".^[16]
• Ellis, portrayed by Sam Trammell, a married plastic surgeon and Jules' sugar-daddy. Appears in "The Ballad of Paladin" and "This Little Piggy".^[16]
• Artur, portrayed by Matthew Willig, Naz's enforcer. Appears in "The Ballad of Paladin" and "This Little Piggy".^[16]
• Kitty, portrayed by Anna Van Patten, a stripper employed by Alamo at the Silver Slipper to replace Angel. Appears in "Kitty Likes to Dance" and "This Little Piggy".^[14][15]

Co-stars

Introduced in season 1

• Barbara "BB" Brooks, portrayed by Sophia Rose Wilson, is a friend of Maddy, Rue, Lexi, Kat, and Cassie. She is prone to gossip and causes drama, as evidenced by her encouragement of Maddy to confront Cassie physically. In the third season, she is revealed to be pregnant.^[16]
• Troy and Roy McKay, portrayed by Tyler and Tristan Timmons (season 1), McKay's younger twin brothers, who got Gia involved with drugs
• Theodore "Ted" Perez, portrayed by Ruben Dario (season 1), Maddy's alcoholic father
• Mouse, portrayed by Meeko (seasons 1–2), Fez's supplier
• Miss Marsha, portrayed by Marsha Gambles, a server at Frank's diner
• Marie O'Neill, portrayed by Brynda Mattox (seasons 1–2) and Kathrine Narducci (middle-aged adult, "Trying to Get to Heaven Before They Close the Door"), Fez's grandmother who he looks after as she is bedridden

Introduced in season 2

• Bruce Sr., portrayed by Melvin "Bonez" Estes (seasons 2–3), Laurie's right-hand man^[16]
• Mitch, portrayed by Daeg Faerch (seasons 2–3), a drug dealer working for Laurie^[16]
• Caleb, portrayed by Ansel Pierce (season 2), is a student at East Highland High School. He is first seen using the toilet while Cassie is hiding from Maddy in the bath, and is later seen in the audience of Lexi's play.
• Theo, portrayed by Yukon Clement (season 2), Samantha's child that Maddy babysits
• Sebastian, portrayed by Fernando Belo (season 2), Theo's father and Samantha's husband
• Bobbi, portrayed by Veronica Taylor (season 2), an acquaintance of Lexi's, who helps develop her play. In her first appearance, Bobbi assists Lexi in the casting of her play, and later on in the season, during Lexi's play, she acts as Lexi's right-hand. Following Cassie's interruption of the play, Bobbi comforts Lexi and convinces her to carry on by claiming that the play isn't boring and that in the history of East Highland High School, no other play has incurred a riot.

Introduced in season 3

• Daisy Miller, portrayed by Jessica Treska (season 3), a religious teenager who lives on a farm in Texas
• Juana, portrayed by Minerva Garcia (season 3), Nate and Cassie's housekeeper
• Kurt, portrayed by Christopher Grove (season 3), an investor in Nate's business
• Tish, portrayed by Emma Kotos (season 3), a stripper employed by Alamo who overdoses and dies from laced drugs
• Batman, portrayed by Eli Roth (season 3), a man cosplaying as Batman who takes an Uber ride from Rue^[16]
• Fred, portrayed by Justin Sintic (season 3), Heather's husband and Nate's friend^[21]
• Bowman, portrayed by William "Bill" Bodner (season 3), a DEA agent and Jimenez's partner^[16]
• Meredith, portrayed by Meredith Mickelson (season 3), a model^[21]
• Ricky D, portrayed by Vinnie Hacker (season 3), an influencer^[21]
• Video Podcast Host, portrayed by Trisha Paytas (season 3), a podcaster^[16]